Be A Looper founder Ms Johnstone attended Prospect High and Launceston College, co-opened former clothing store Sebachi at age 17, worked as a West Tamar Council youth development officer, and volunteered at youth suicide prevention retreats.

These days the 33-year-old works in the digital and artificial intelligence technologies space, having founded the peer-support mental health check app Be a Looper.

The app prompts users to rate their mental health on a numerical scale every day, which is viewed by other users in the circle who can offer immediate assistance.

Ms Johnstone said making Time's list for 2019 was mindblowing.

"Time is such a prestigious publication - it was a huge shock. We've been working on this for five years and it has been in the market for two, it was lovely recognition for our entire team."

Be A Looper was influenced by Ms Johnstone's experiences of losing people to suicide, as well as her professional connection to healthcare technologies.

"I was sick of going to the funerals in Launceston of young Launcestonians who had taken their own lives," Ms Johnstone said.

"From the [BAL] data I see how many people from Launceston check in every day. I can't see who they are, or what suburb they are from, but we can see at a glance how many people are using it... it might not be straight away but we can save someone's life, 100 per cent."

More than 20 thousand people in distress from 76 countries have flagged that they needed support on the Be A Looper app.

Ms Johnstone's relevance as a future leader is also promoted by her upcoming projects, including the future launch of a Be A Looper medical portal designed for psychologists and their patients, and development of an artificial intelligence product.

"We have just signed a global contract with one of the biggest media and content companies in the world.

"I don't want to ruffle my own feathers but we are definitely working with some really great people to change how people navigate their own health."